The Legend of Zelda: The Shards of Time
by Nex the Slayer
Summary: A proposed finale to the repeating Zelda series, in which the descendants of Link and Zelda, who are conveniently also called Link and Zelda, go on an adventure to destroy, once and for all, the Prince of Darkness, Ganon. *Chapter 10 up finally !*
1. Ganon's Prison

_Long ago, long before Men, Beasts, or Creatures, there was once a land called Hyrule. It was a chaotic void, absent of life, knowledge, or light. Into this void descended the three golden goddesses. Din, with her strong flaming arms, carved the landscape and gave it substance. Naryu, with her abundant knowledge, gave the land the natural laws, calming the chaos of disorder. And Farore, with her rich soul, created life in the form of plants and beasts to uphold the laws. The three goddesses, their work completed, journeyed for the heavens. As they parted from the world, far above Hyrule, the sheer power of their departure created the Triforce…_

He waited.

In the infinite depths of darkness, in the abysmal silence of a forgotten void, he waited. Too long had he waited, waiting, continued to wait for a sensation, a perceptual feeling.

For freedom.

He waited in ethereal nothingness, patiently counting the seconds, the minutes, the hours, the days, the years, the everlasting centuries. He waited in mental isolation, trapped with only his will to escape and his infuriating memories; memories of rebirth, memories of power, memories of conquest.

Memories of defeat.

He waited in anger, in a hatred so pure and undefiled that his entire existence was fueled by it. Fueled by visions of reparation, of requital, of retribution.

Of revenge.

He waited, waiting for another chance to defy the gods and humans that had cursed his existence and denied his attempts to quench his thirst for dominion and destruction. He waited, knowing that his freedom would soon come, and that his wrath would once again scourge the land of the living, and that all would tremble at the mention of his name.

Ganon waited.


	2. A Haunting Nightmare

Link awoke suddenly, gasping for air and drenched with sweat. He sat up quickly and breathed deeply, attempting to catch his breath. His perspiration had soaked his sheets, and they clung to him like weeds, enveloping him. He flung them aside, still somewhat startled. It took several moments for him to remember where he was. He was in his home in Cedar Village, in his bed on a second story landing. Nothing stirred in his small house, and an eerie silence settled in the air. Link began breathing in long, deep breaths, gradually calming down. A cool night breeze washed over him through his nearby window, where he could just hear a cricket, chirping incessantly at the moon.

Link gave a heavy sigh, and lay back on his bed again. It was the third time that week that he had had a nightmare. He had had nightmares before, but this nightmare was different, somehow. After having the nightmare for the first time, he was confused because he couldn't remember having any dreams that night. It was only after the second night of terror that Link realized that the nightmare, the terrible dream, was of darkness. There were no screaming monsters, fierce dragons, or demonic demons chasing and frightening him, like his childhood nightmares. It was just… darkness.

Link turned over in bed, facing the window and staring at the full moon. The darkness in his dream wasn't normal, either. It was thick, like a veil of suffocating nothingness that surrounded him and filled him, strangling his throat, and clutching at his hands. Link covered his face with his palm, trying to recreate the engulfing feeling he had experienced in his dream. Dissatisfied with the result, he used both hands, pressing hard onto his face, trying to fill in any gaps between his fingers…

It was no use. Link dropped his hands. There was just no way to reproduce that nightmare. He yawned and turned his hand over, observing his birthmark. His intriguing triangular birthmark had been on his right hand for as long as he could remember, and had always been a mystery due to its perfect resemblance to the Triforce told of in legend. Link's eyes drooped, and he began to descend back into unconsciousness. His last thought before falling asleep was that the darkness in his dream had clawed at that same hand, the one bearing the Triforce mark…


	3. Just another day

It was another beautiful day in Cedar Village. The sun was bright, the birds were chirping, the children were mischievous, and Leanna had left another batch of her Chu Jelly Cookies on Link's doorstep. Link smiled as he saw them, his stomach already jumping for joy at the sight of the treat. He took them back inside of his house, and made a simple breakfast before preparing for the day's work. Link grabbed his trusty shovel, his water canteen, and two Chu Jelly Cookies as he headed out of the door, leaving the other cookies in their pack on the dining room table.

Link walked to the back of his house where his pride and joy, Epona, quietly grazed on the grass. He filled Epona's water trough and opened the door to the small stable attached to the house, ensuring that she wouldn't get too hot during the day, and then set out for Riker's farm.

Cedar Village wasn't very large. In fact, Cedar village was merely a collection of six Hylian families, all of whom farmed for a living. Leanna was the only exception to this fact, who preferred instead to design patterns for rugs, cloths, and linens. Afterwards, she would take her designs to Ordon Village, a town closer to the edge of the Forest, and sell them on market day.

Cedar Village operated on a kind of unspoken mutual agreement, for survival purposes. There was no currency of any kind, since there were only six families. When a family needed something, like food, they would simply trade with whoever had food by giving that neighbor whatever that family produced.

As Link walked the short distance from his house to Riker's farm, he waved to the Daunder family, busy at work. The Daunder family, which was comprised of Todd, his wife Izzy and their eight children, owned a majority of Cedar Village, and used it to harvest the village's crops. The family was an oddity in itself, and everyone outside the village who knew of them called them the Baby Making Professionals. When Todd and Izzy first married and Izzy became pregnant, they were worried that they wouldn't be able to feed the child. Todd and Izzy were, of course, horrendously surprised when Izzy gave birth to quadruplets! The next day, Todd went into the Forest and didn't return for nearly a month. The villagers were convinced that Todd had abandoned Izzy, and shared their sympathy, as well as helping her to care for her newborn baby boys. They were, of course, pleasantly surprised when Todd reappeared. Todd had spent the last month chopping down an entire five acres of trees and foliage and built a new two-story house to provide more comfort and food for his family. A few years later, Izzy became pregnant again and gave birth to another set of quadruplets, this time a set of baby girls.

The four Daunder boys, thirteen years old now, were hard at work shoveling dirt from a large pit in the ground, soon to become the new Village Well. The four Daunder girls, all seven years old, helped by taking the soil from the well and planting new flowers in their mother's garden.

"Hi, Link!" all eight of the children said at once. Izzy waved to Link from the front porch a little further in the distance, then went back to work, watering her roses. Link walked a little further, past the new well, and around the crop fields. Near the end of the fields, he greeted Todd, who was busy using one of Riker's bulls to plow his field.

"Hoy! Link!" Todd called out. He slowed the bull to a stop, then carefully walked over the plowed troughs to greet him. Todd was a burly man, with a full beard, glaring red hair, and a large smile. "Are you headed over to Riker's?"

He nodded, pointing to his shovel.

"Well," he continued "you've got your work cut out for you. The bulls up at the farm have been kind of restless lately."

Link raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, real restless. When Riker came over this morning to let me borrow Boris here…" Todd gestured to the bull "…he had to literally drag him! Boris did _not_ want to move. I got him calm enough to do some work, but you can tell that he's still a little pissed."

Boris, a little ways behind Todd, was continually moving his head left to right, stepping in place as if the ground itself was on fire. He seemed eager to start moving again, to anywhere but where he was. Todd followed his gaze.

"Hmmm." Todd mused "Maybe I should get back to work, before Boris gets out of hand again." He looked at Link again, giving him a mischievous grin. "Are you… going by Leanna's house again today?"

Smiling sheepishly, Link scratched his head and nodded. He could feel his own face flush red, and he shuffled his feet nervously.

"Ahhh." Todd hummed, "It's like that, huh? Well, I won't pry, but just make sure you don't rush anything, okay? If it's meant to be, it'll work out. I'd hate to see one or both of you end up in a bad way…" Todd straightened up. "I'm goin' back to work. Oh! Can you tell Riker that I'll have Boris back at the farm by sundown?"

Link nodded.

"Great, thanks. See you later." Todd jogged back to Boris, who was becoming more and more restless by the second. As Link watched him go, his thoughts slowly turned to Leanna, who had been spending increasing amounts of time with Link. They were both young adults now, and they were expected to eventually become engaged…

He shook his head vigorously, clearing it, and continued to walk down the road. Marriage was nowhere in the near future, and neither was casual dating. Leanna, like Link, had been orphaned at a young age, and was left to care for her little brother, Sander, by herself. Link and Leanna had always been great friends, so as soon as Link was physically strong enough to work, he began helping Leanna and Sander (a child at the time) to plant and harvest crops, as well as maintenance their house. Leanna had always returned the favor by providing Link with fresh and stylish clothes, bed sheets, and drapes, as well as grooming Epona from time to time.

Link waved to Wes a little ways down the road. Wes and his wife Dara raised small colonies of bees, and harvested their honey for profit. Both were elderly, with silvery hair, and had very amiable personalities. Wes waved back to Link, a huge smile plastered on his face.

His mind drifted again. It wasn't that he didn't like Leanna, because he really did. It just wouldn't be prudent to start up a relationship while Sander was dependant on her. Sander was about eleven years old, old enough to begin learning a trade, but not quite old enough to support himself. Link grunted in disdain. There was another problem. Sander wasn't exactly the most responsible and level-headed boy in the village. He often daydreamed of the world outside of the forest, wishing to see the rest of Hyrule and imagining grand adventures. Sander just wasn't the village type. Link was worried that Sander wouldn't come to his senses before coming of age, possibly placing Leanna in a tough financial spot.

Link was so absorbed in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice that he'd arrived at Riker's Farm.


	4. Rupees, for a Price

"There you are!" Riker sighed. "You're a little late, Link. I almost though you weren't coming!" Riker was a thin man in his late twenties, with light brown hair and long legs.

Link gestured to Todd, who could still be seen down the road, fighting to keep Boris on his farmland.

"Oh? Had a talk with you did he? Did he mention whether he was bringing Boris back later today?"

With a quick nod, Link indicated that he did.

"Good." Riker turned, and started walking towards the barn on the far side of the farm. "Thanks for agreeing to help me out today, Link. I'd stay to help you out with these chores, but I've _got_ to go to Ordon to get this "Bull Contract" resolved. If this works out, half of the bulls leased in Ordon will be from _my_ farm! It's a huge opportunity for me!"

Link nodded again, only half listening. Riker had always made good business in Cedar and Ordon from renting out his top-notch bulls and cows to farmers and milk-maids alike. Recently, this new contract had been all he could talk about. Even Link, who considered himself a good listener, became weary of the enthusiastic farmer.

"I see you're all set to get to work," Riker said, examining Link's shovel. "That's good, because you've got quite a day ahead of you."

Riker strode through the barn's huge open doors, taking a huge breath of air. Link followed suit, only to quickly cough and hack as the scent of dirty, smelly bulls mixed with manure invaded his nostrils.

"Do you smell that, boy?" Riker beamed. "That's the smell of money!"

To Link, it smelled more like death and rotten eggs, but he decided not to mention it.

Riker walked further into the barn, stopping at each stall and inspecting the bulls. "They're all healthy, and in good shape, but they smell something awful! So, your job while I'm gone is to clean out these stalls, wash the bulls, and let the bulls out to graze at the right times. You'll need to collect the manure into those baskets…" Riker pointed at a heap of woven baskets in the corner. "…and then take them down the road to Todd. He wants to use it for his crops, and he'll pay you for the trouble!"

Link grimaced slightly. So _that's_ what Riker wanted his shovel for… it was going to be dirty work, but at least Todd would pay him.

"You need to wash the bulls, too. Unfortunately, you can't use the river behind the barn because it feeds directly into the water spout in the center of town. Soon, Todd's kids will have that new well up and running, but until then, you'll have to take each bull to the other side of town and wash them _individually_!"

_That's_ going to take awhile! There's no way he would finish that today, especially if Todd was right about the bulls being skittish! Link watched helplessly as his hours of free time were sold away into labor hours. He didn't expect there to be _this_ much work!

"And lastly, don't forget to let the cows and bulls eat! Don't let them stay out too long, or they'll wander. Don't bring them in too quickly, or they'll starve. You can use Epona to herd the animals into the barn afterwards. And keep an eye out for trouble! I don't plan on being back for three days, so you'll have to sleep out here with the animals to make sure they're safe. There's food in the upper room of the barn, and a bed for you too."

Now that was going too far! Link had planned on having dinner with Leanna and Sander! Link was about to voice his objections when Riker interrupted.

"I know this seems like a full-time job. I also know that you want to have some free time, but these are things that _have_ to be done, and there's no one else available! Not to mention that you gave your word to carry it through. I'm not exactly under-paying you either…"

Riker had offered Link a whopping one hundred rupees to do this job, and he had jumped at the chance. Riker was the only person in Cedar Village capable of paying money for work because of his bull and cow business. Since Link had no money of his own, he saw it as a great opportunity to start saving money. Now that he was aware of the work involved, though, he was having second thoughts.

"Please, Link. I can't cancel my trip! Not this late!"

Link considered for a moment, weighing the options, then finally decided to help out Riker, and maybe use the money to get Leanna a present…

"Capital!" Riker cheered. He jogged over to the barn's entrance. "I'm off then! See you in three days!"

And with that, Riker was gone for Ordon.

Link hefted his shovel onto his shoulder, then turned to look at the bulls.

It was time to get to work.


	5. Politics

_**That same morning...**_

"That's _still_ too many!" Anora cried.

Princess Anora of the Zoras sat in Hyrule's Diplomacy Chamber with the King and his Council of Elders. On one end of the circular table sat Anora, back straight and head high. On the other sat King Persius, the current King of Hyrule, morbidly fat and shoveling food down his throat, with no obvious reservations in the face of company. Between them on the left and right were the elders. The twelve elders and the king made decisions concerning the kingdom from this chamber six days out of the week. Or, at least they did before King Persius came to power. Now the Elders and King only met three days a week…

"Aurora-" Persius started, mouth stuffed with food.

"Anora." the Princess quickly corrected.

"We can't cut down on tourism to Zora's Domain any more than we already have! To do so would cast a bad reflection on my popularity!"

Recently, a spike in tourism to Zora's Domain had become a huge problem for its inhabitants. The local supply of fish was beginning to wane, and the Zoras could no longer catch enough food to feed themselves. The over-tourism had pushed Zora's Domain into a fish famine.

"Popularity isn't what you should be concerned about!" Anora argued. "If this continues, Zoras will _starve_!"

_Not that you know what that's like…_ she thought to herself.

"I am fully aware of the repercussions-"

"No!" Anora shouted. "You're not! If you were, you wouldn't be sitting there like a-"

"Anora!" the head elder cut her off. "Remember your place!"

Anora caught her tongue in her mouth, though it longed to say more. For a moment, she couldn't think of a good reason to hold back a perfectly good rant. Eventually, the lone Zora sighed and slumped in her chair. The discussions had been like this for nearly a month now. The King would stuff his face with food while she attempted to describe her people's situation, which was, ironically, that they lacked food. He would then say things so outlandish and un-leader-like that Anora would blow a fuse and start to scream at him.

"Fedora…" the King began.

"_Anora_." she corrected.

"Perhaps there are other alternatives we can explore! I mean, why not eat something… other than fish?"

"Our bodies can't synthesize anything _but_ fish. The Gorons have rocks. The Zoras have fish. That's the way it's always been. But, as long as we're talking about alternatives, why doesn't Hyrule provide us with the extra fish we need to survive?"

"That sounds like a great plan!" the King said excitedly. The Elders began to shift uncomfortably in their seats. "How much fish do you need?"

"Well," the Princess sat up and closed her eyes. "there are exactly eighty-one Zoras in Zora's Domain. Each one eats about five fish per meal, and we eat five meals a day…"

Anora opened her eyes with growing amusement at the King, who was trying to figure out the total amount of fish with his fingers. Some of the elders had figured it out. The others simply knew it wasn't pretty.

"F-f-forty five?" the King managed after a good five minutes of calculating.

"Nooooo… but you're close!" Anora taunted. "Two thousand and twenty five fish. Per day."

The King glanced over to the head elder, who nodded to confirm that she was correct.

"That doesn't sound to hard…" the King started.

"Are you mad?!" the Zora could contain herself no more. "Most fishermen don't catch that many fish in ten _years_! Let alone per day! The _only_ way we Zora manage to survive is the fact that we are the best fishers in the world, and everyone catches their _own_ fish! We used to have plenty of fish, with more than enough to spare!"

The elders seemed even more uncomfortable, if possible, and began to turn and scratch their heads. The King merely sat there, holding a rather large turkey leg.

"But we don't _have_ that fish anymore, because you have failed to regulate the traffic through Zora's domain in _every_ respect! We're lucky if we catch _five hundred_ fish now! Strong, healthy Zoras are growing sick and weak because _you_ failed to act!"

"Pandora-" the King attempted.

"My name is _ANORA, _you idiot!"

Anora stormed out of the chambers, furious and temperamental. She walked fast, then faster, and then began to run. She didn't care about the court's clothes that she was wearing, or about what others thought when they saw her. She just ran, up the stairs, through the court, towards her temporary room…

…and right into the Queen of Hyrule. Anora couldn't stop in time, and both she and the queen tumbled to the floor. The flustered Princess quickly stood up and helped the Queen to her feet, apologizing profusely. To her surprise, the Queen was laughing!

"I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, don't worry about it! Really! I haven't laughed like that in a _long_ time…" The Queen studied Anora's face for a moment. "You've been crying. Are you all right?"

Anora was about to answer that she was fine, until she saw the Queen's face. It was full of genuine concern for her. The Queen was a beautiful woman, who walked with authority and grace. Anora decided to tell her the truth.

"Not really, no."

The Princess explained to the Queen everything that had happened that morning at the Diplomacy Chambers. They walked around the castle while she poured her heart out about the whole affair.

"Can I ask a question?" Anora ventured.

"Of course." the Queen replied.

She hesitated for a moment. "Why did you marry Persius? He's a fat slob, with no manners! Plus, he's an imbecile! I just don't see how…"

The Queen stopped walking and faced Anora with a warm smile on her face.

"There are some things that you won't understand, no matter how hard you try. The day will come when you will realize why I married him. You could almost say that it was meant to be this way. For now, just remember to be respectful. Don't let that great Zora pride go to your head! The King is a simple man. So think of a simple solution to your problem. It's best to have him work _with_ you rather than against you."

They continued walking, and Anora pondered what she had said.

They stopped in front of the Princess' quarters, where they had started. "Good night, Anora. And don't worry; I'll talk to the King for you."

The Queen left her in front of her room, and disappeared into the castle's corridors. Anora stood by her door for a minute, then went inside. With a huge sigh, she collapsed on her bed. The day's troubles had exhausted her. Within moments she was fast asleep.


	6. The Prince and the Outcast

**_That same day..._**

Kalin trudged silently through the desert sandstorm, deliberately placing one foot in front of the other as the violent, sand littered wind pushed against him. Clad in tattered desert clothes, with a scarf around his mouth and cap across his eyes, Kalin resembled a wraith more than a man. Even under his gear, it was obvious that he was a physically strong and athletic man. His flaming red hair flowed from his desert cap, a spiky mess matted with dirt and sand. He lifted his head into the storm, looking forward into the unforgiving wind.

Just beyond a few sand dunes, he could make out the rocky sides of the Gerudo Valley, which had long served as the entrance to the Gerudo Desert, a landscape at least three times as dangerous as the valley itself.

_Almost there…_ Kalin thought to himself.

After a few more minutes of walking, Kalin found himself at the entrance of a rather large cave in the cliffs, at least twice as tall as himself. The young Gerudo quickly shuffled inside, eager to be out of the torturous weather.

"Who's there?" a deep voice slowly asked from deeper inside the cave.

"It's me." Kalin answered. He took off his gloves, coat and boots, pouring the sand in them into a considerable pile on the floor. A deep tan covered the parts of his body that weren't covered by clothes.

"Prince Kalin!" the voice cried excitedly. "You came to see me again? Did you bring anything to eat?"

"I told you before," Kalin sighed, "Don't call me 'Prince'."

Reaching into his shoulder bag, Kalin gingerly pulled out a smooth, glossy rock, black in color. Walking a little further into the cave, Kalin set the rock down on a flat stone in the center of the tunnel's path. A flurry of movement could be heard from deeper in the cave, and a few seconds later, a full grown male Goron appeared from the shadows. He was taller than the average Goron, about three feet taller than Kalin, and had noticeable muscles on his arms, legs and back.

"OOOOOH! Onyx!" The Goron stooped and picked up the stone, examining it closely. "You are too kind, Prince Kalin! Onyx is a rare delicacy, even in the great Dondongo Mines!"

"We Gerudos have too much of it. The onyx always interferes with our mining for other materials, so we usually throw it away. You mentioned it when I was here last, though, so I thought I'd check to see if you liked it."

"Yes! Rongo likes onyx very much!" the Goron said heartily, with a large smile plastered on his face.

"Oh?" Kalin grinned. "Then you wouldn't mind taking these off of my hands?"

Kalin opened his bag to reveal thirty more black stones, roughly the same size as the first.

Rongo didn't react at first, then, as he realized that Kalin was giving them to him, his eyes widened in amazement and the corners of his mouth twitched. A single tear fell from the Goron's eye…

The next thing Kalin knew, he was being crushed in a giant bear hug from Rongo! The Goron obviously didn't realize how hard he was squeezing, but Kalin was sure he heard a few of his bones creak and crack in protest.

"Okay! ... You're happy! … I get it! … Please, Rongo!"

"Oh!" Rongo released Kalin, leaving him coughing and hacking on the floor. "I'm sorry, Prince Kalin! I was just so happy…"

"Don't worry about it." Kalin managed between his coughs. He stood to his feet and grinned. "I'm happy to help out a friend. So! Have you had any ideas on how to get accepted back into your tribe?"

A few months prior, Rongo had appeared on the edge of the Gerudo Valley, seeking shelter among the caves. He'd claimed to have been exiled from the Goron nation due to some incident involving his… mental capacity.

"I got kicked out for being stupid," Rongo droned in his slow speech. "It's not easy to come up with a good idea."

It was suprising to Kalin that the Gorons would exile Rongo for not being smart, and he wondered exactly what the gentle giant had done to recieve such a sentence.

Kalin, a Prince in the Gerudo tribe, had agreed to allow Rongo to live in the caves of the valley until he thought of a way to redeem himself in the eyes of the Gorons. Every now and then, Kalin would visit Rongo with some exotic stones from the quarry, as well as help him think of a way to return to Death Mountain.

"I thought of something!" Kalin offered as he sat down in the cave. "Why don't you play the Hero? Find a big problem that your race has, and then fix it!"

Rongo thought about that plan for a long minute. His answer was slow and deliberate.

"The Gorons don't have many problems… except with the mining machinery."

"Do you know how the mining equipment works?" Kalin inquired.

The giant began to laugh in huge guffaws. "No! No! No! I'm not smart enough to run the machines! I would mess something up for sure!"

He grabbed one of the onyx stones and popped it into his mouth like candy. After another long moment of thought, Rongo spoke again. "Maybe I can bring a gift of something…"

Kalin's hazel eyes sparkled. "What if you brought them a bunch of precious stones?"

Rongo blinked.

He didn't get it. Kalin tried again. "What if you took a bunch of stones, like Onyx, Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, and Diamonds to your tribe? With all those gifts, they'd be sure to take you back!"

Rongo looked instantly dismayed. "But I don't have any of those, and they're all so rare, even on Death Mountain… I'd never be able to do it…"

"That's what you have me for!" Kalin beamed. "I'll never be able to convince Shadii to let me give you the gems, but perhaps I can arrange for you to help us in the quarry. The mining field is rich with precious rocks, and it should be easy for you since you were already a miner on Death Mountain. We even have a few Goron Pickaxes in the supply dungeon!"

After _another_ minute of thought, Rongo started to jumped for joy, and danced around the tunnel!

"You are a very smart and kind man, Prince Kalin! That is a very good idea!"

"Don't call me 'Prince'. I'll talk to my advisor, Shadii, about it. You probably won't be able to start until we come back from Hyrule Castle, though."

"You are going to the castle?" Rongo asked.

"Yes. It's time to take our tribute to the King. We're actually a little late; all the other races, including the Gorons, have submitted their tribute to the King already. Half of the tribute is still at the Shrine in the desert. We'll be leaving tomorrow to collect it, and then we'll head towards the castle. I'll visit you one last time before we leave, maybe with some more rocks…"

Kalin found himself in the crushing embrace of another Goron bear hug, even tighter than the last, if possible! "Rongo! … Please! …"


	7. The King and Queen

_**That same night…**_

The King shuffled down a castle corridor to the Royal Bedroom, his mind already imagining the cool embrace of the soft sheets and pillows. It had been a long and vexing day, and the Council sessions hadn't helped. The front of his belly was sore from being rubbed against the Council Chamber's Table all day.

He nodded to the guards in front of his bedroom door and entered. He had to open both doors to fit through. The room was lit by candles, and the Queen sat in a chair in front of a large mirror, slowly brushing her hair. The King quickly changed into his robes, discarding his clothes on the floor, and prepared to ease himself into the bed…

"Pick them up, Leon," the Queen called out without turning around. The King sighed.

"You never let me get away with anything, do you?" He stood to his feet and moved the clothes from the floor to a basket near the door.

"If I did, I wouldn't be a good Queen, would I?" she replied.

"I suppose…" King Leon made his way back to the bed, and with some effort, slid under the sheets.

"Leon… about the Zoras…" the Queen began.

"Stop," Leon interrupted. "I know what you're going to say. I told you _before_ we got married that I was _not_ a politician. I am a warrior. I have no place in the decisions of what happens within the country!"

"Yes, you do," the Queen sighed. "You are the King."

"Why can't _you_ meet with the Council?"

"Because then you wouldn't be doing anything of value, and Kings must know how to run their country."

"I didn't ask for any of this," Leon looked to where the Queen still sat, brushing her hair. "_You_ proposed to _me_."

"Oh, come now… what ever happened to that little boy that wanted to change the world?"

"He grew up," the King grunted.

The Queen stopped in mid-brush, then put the brush down on the counter in front of her. She stood and faced Leon.

"You know full well why I chose you, of all people, to be my husband. I gave you a choice, if you remember."

"That wasn't a choice! I could either marry you and die saving Hyrule, or not marry you and watch the whole world burn to ashes! I couldn't just say _no_, could I?"

"Yes," the Queen stated. "You could have said no. It was your choice to make."

"And look at the result! I'm a walking disgrace! I was a strong, proud Hylian…"

"You still _are_ a strong and proud Hylian."

"I'm fat. I have the IQ of a Goron and the weight of three. Not to mention sterile…"

"And yet," the Queen interjected, "you are the only person capable of setting the events in motion that will save the kingdom of Hyrule. My visions are never wrong. Would you rather we hadn't married?"

The King was silent for a moment.

"No."

Another few moments of silence passed.

"I've learned not care what people think of me." the King sighed. "But I wonder what your subordinates must think of you for marrying me."

The Queen leaned over the bed with a smile, and gave his beard a quick tug. "You worry too much. And stop giving that young Zora a hard time. I _know_ you're doing it on purpose."

"That young woman needs to learn how to deal with difficult people in an appropriate manner, without losing her head to her anger. It's important for a leader to be level-headed, and respectful. Even around people they don't respect."

The Queen, now dressed in her robes, slipped into bed next to her husband.

"Even so," she responded, "you shouldn't intentionally nag her."

"Fine."

They both quickly drifted off to sleep…


	8. The Coming Storm

Link collapsed on the floor in the middle of the barn, exhausted from his work. It had been a day of excruciating work, and he was sore from head to foot.

He had finally devised a method for tending to the bulls. Link let the bulls out to graze in the morning, then cleaned as many stalls as he could before bringing them back to barn. The herding was easy, with Epona's help. The bulls in the stalls he cleaned were the bulls that he took downstream to wash. On the way downstream, Link carried a basket or two of the manure to Todd's house. It made no sense to clean the bulls that weren't in clean stalls: they'd just get themselves dirty again.

Despite working the entire day, with sparse breaks for food and water, Link had only managed to get a third of the stalls and bulls cleaned. It was just as well… he had to take care of the bulls for three days anyway.

Link had just finished rounding up the bulls as the sun was going down. He was covered with so much dirt, grime, and sweat that he didn't even mind the barn's smell anymore.

Thunder resounded in the distance, and Link could tell that it was going to rain soon. Link groaned as he realized that he could've washed the bulls in the heavy rain much easier than the river.

Deciding not to worry about it, Link tried to get up and head to his room in the attic of the barn. To his dismay, he found that he couldn't move. He simply didn't have any energy left!

Link gave up and listened to the approaching thunder. The sun had long since fallen, and Link could see the stars and moon outside the open barn doors. Further down the horizon, he could see the stars disappearing one by one as the thundercloud moved towards him from the west.

Something was wrong… Link had never seen a cloud move as fast as that before. In less than a minute, the thundercloud had enveloped over half of the sky. He tried to get up again… he had to close the barn's doors! The storm wind could blow a hole in the wooden barn if the door was left open!

Link strained, pulling on his arms with all his might, struggling to sit up. It was no use! He couldn't move an inch! The black cloud began to collect, forming a lump in the bottom of the cloud. The thundercloud stretched and bent, twisting its way towards the ground.

A tornado! Link gasped. He had to get those doors closed _now_! He looked at his hands, only to find that they were chained to the ground! Chains…?

Link shifted his attention as the looming tornado suddenly shriveled and withered away as quickly as it had appeared, vanishing in an instant. Within moments, there was no trace of it anywhere in the sky. The stars and moon returned.

Link took a breath. Then another. After a few breaths, he gave a sigh of relief.

_Thump._

A single footstep sounded, echoing in the barn.

_Thump._

Another step. Link twisted his head towards the barn door to see who it was…

A man dressed in black slowly approached from where the tornado had struck the ground, his blood red hair billowing in the wind. He was in no rush, and moved toward the barn in smooth, deliberate movements. Malevolence flowed from him, and the evil in his crimson eyes was all too apparent.

Link began to panic again. This man was evil! He struggled to move, then remembered that he was still chained to the ground. Link's mind couldn't comprehend what was happening.

The man entered the barn, still taking slow steps, and walked directly to Link. He stood over him, like a towering giant. The dark man's hand reached down towards Link's face. The huge hand covered his eyes, nose and mouth, shutting his senses off. The darkness wrapped him in its cold, unforgiving embrace…

"Hello… _boy_…"


	9. A Night in the Barn

Link jerked upright in an instant. He was in the middle of the barn. There was no man in black, and there were no chains on his arms. Sweat covered his body, and Link knew he had had another dream. Rain was pouring outside the barn, and the bulls stomped their feet in unease.

He staggered to his feet and stumbled towards the door. He was about to close them when he remembered that he had left Epona outside! Link stood at the doorway to the barn, put his fingers to his lips, and let out a piercing whistle. There was a rustle of movement, and Epona's outline became visible in the rain. She headed straight through the barn doors, shaking off the rain as she entered.

Link relaxed, seeing Epona safe and sound. He closed the left door of the barn, then started to close the right. Before it closed, a hand shot through the entrance to keep the door from closing.

"Hold on, Link! Let us in!"

Link recognized the voice instantly. Cracking open the doors, a very wet Leanna, Sander, and Boris the Bull huddled in. Link stared at the hooded duo in surprise. He hadn't expected any visitors, let alone the two siblings.

Leanna moved towards Link to hug him, but Link stepped back, then looked down at himself, still covered in the dirt and manure from the day's work.

"So what?" She asked. "I'm soaked! Give me a hug! It seems like ages since I saw you last." Link gave in and gave her a hug, then gave Sander a quick noogie as a hello.

"Hey!" Sander protested.

"Todd was going to bring Boris back to the farm, but since we were headed this way we offered to do it for him." Leanna explained cheerfully.

"_You_ offered," Sander said flatly. "I just wanted to get here, but you just _had_ to offer to take Boris. Then we got caught in the rain. Because of _you_."

_Pow!_

Leanna landed an expert blow on the back of her little brother's head, making him yelp and giving him a large bump on his head. Sander rubbed his tender sore, but didn't say anything else.

Link raised an eyebrow. They still hadn't explained why they were at Riker's place.

"Riker told us you'd be up here for the next few days, helping with the bulls and such, and we thought you could use some company! Look, we brought dinner and everything!"

It was true. From inside her cloak, Leanna pulled out a picnic basket filled to the brim with fruit, bread, vegetables and treats. Link's stomach let out a low growl. He still hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime, and it was already after dark.

"Looks like we came just in time, huh? Let's eat!"

Unable to think of a good reason not to, Link agreed.

As they sat on the floor of the barn, eating the food Leanna had brought, Link had time to ponder on the dream he had had. He could clearly recall the dream, in startling clarity, most unlike his usual dreams. What unsettled him the most was the dark skinned man in his dream. His presence was strong, and the way he had grabbed Link's face… it was the same smothering darkness as before.

Link's thoughts must have shown on his face, because he noticed Leanna giving him a strange look. He quickly tried to put the incident out of his mind, not wanting Leanna to think he thought ill of her cooking.

"So Link, what did you have to do today?" Sander asked. "Was it really hard work?"

Link was just opening his mouth to speak when Leanna interrupted him. "Don't, Link. He's just looking for an excuse not to go to sleep. He knows all too well that it's _way_ past his bedtime."

"But sis…" he complained.

"No buts. We need to head home. Now." Leanna stood up and wiped the dirt from her clothes, only partially successful since her clothes were still wet. Link helped put away the food and grabbed their coats from where they were hanging in the back of the barn. When they had finished packing up, Leanna handed the basket of food to Link.

"You eat like a horse, and I know you'll be hungry tomorrow. Take it." Link gratefully took the food and placed it in the attic. He had planned on walking them back to their home, but Leanna refused.

"You're tired enough as is. Stay here and get some rest."

Easier said than done, Link thought to himself.

"G'night, Link." Sander mumbled as the pair shuffled out into the significantly lighter rainfall. Link watched them go, and wished they hadn't left. He wasn't scared, but he was still a little shaken from the dream. He wished he had someone to talk to about his strange dreams, the weird feeling in his gut, and the man in black.

Link felt his exhaustion creeping on him again. He was still reluctant to sleep, but tiredness eventually won over. He made his way to the attic of the barn where he laid down on the hay-stuffed mattress and quickly fell asleep.


	10. Resurrection

Night was falling on the Gerudo Desert, and the howling winds began to die down. Kalin and a small group of Gerudo warriors trudged across the sandy terrain, making their way towards the Shrine at the center of the desert. The Shrine was home to an ancient ghost who served as a guide for those wishing to cross the desert to worship at the temple of the Goddess of the Sands, Colossus.

"Prince Kalin," Shadii, Kalin's advisor, spoke. "We are nearing the shrine. I can see the flag just beyond the next sand dune."

"I see it too," he responded. "We'll unload and sleep at the shrine tonight, and make our way to Hyrule Castle first thing in the morning. If we're lucky, the poe may even keep us company." The Prince crested the small hill and looked down on the small outpost built by his ancestors. The underground portions would protect them from the freezing desert night while they slept. "All right… let's settle in."

The Gerudos descended into the depths of the shrine by using the ladder well. Inside, the second half of the tribute to the King of Hyrule sat, awaiting transport. The troupe quickly set up camp, cooking food arranging shelter outside for their bull-pigs. Kalin helped by unloading the bull-pigs and arranging all the necessities from the Shrine for the next day's journey. It would take three days at a steady pace to reach the city, and they were already late.

The camp was made ready, and watches were posted. The remaining warriors took the opportunity to rest, Kalin included. He climbed into his makeshift bedroll, the eerie quiet of the desert filling his ears. The only other sounds were of the women's even breathing, the wind blowing, and the occasional snort from a steed. Kalin was completely relaxed, and was just closing his eyes when a faint purple light caught his eye from the corner of the room. His mind quickly regained its alertness, and he watched the light for any change.

The flame bounced in the air once, then twice. His interest piqued, Kalin quietly rolled out of his mat and tip-toed through the room. The closer he came to the light, the further away it moved, until it disappeared into a wall in an adjoining passageway. Kalin approached the wall looking for any sign of the light, to no avail. Perplexed, he inspected the wall, wondering how the light could have just vanished. Near the bottom of the wall, the Prince noticed a small twig sticking out of the wall. The twig passed through a solid piece of brick, and there were no cracks, as if it was grown that way.

Kalin knelt at the wall's base to get a closer look at the twig, and put his hand on the wall for support. Without warning, his hand arm, and entire upper torso fell through the wall, revealing a rather large chamber on the other side. The Prince looked down at his legs only to see a brick wall where his lower torso should have been.

_What magic is this…?_

After pulling the rest of his body through the illusion, Kalin noticed that the purple flame rested in the center of the room, housed in a glass lamp.

"Come, come!" a disembodied voice resounded. "Sit! I haven't had company in ages, let alone royalty!"

"Are you the Guide?" Kalin asked. The voice had come from the light, and he couldn't imagine what else it could be.

"Oh, yes! Where are my manners?" the voice sounded ashamed. The dust on the ground swirled, and the silhouette of an old man rose from the lantern. As the old man became more defined, he picked up the lantern, holding it at about mid-height. "I am the poe who guards this shrine, and guides travelers deemed worthy to the ancient temple Colossus." The poe hesitated before starting again. "Although, I must say, the path has been rather unused as of late…"

The young prince could only stare with his mouth slightly open. He had never seen a ghost before, and had only heard of the Poe of the Shrine in stories and rumor. It was told to little children to make them behave, even. Yet here it was, clearly speaking to him.

"It's impolite to stare, you know."

Kalin caught himself. "I'm… sorry, it's just…"

"Hard to believe you're talking to someone dead?" the ghost inquired. "I'm finding it hard to believe I'm talking to someone alive! No one ever comes out to my shrine anymore, or if they do, they leave as soon as they arrive. They always complain about this place being haunted. Let me tell you, I've lived here hundreds of times longer than you've been alive, and I've never seen a ghost here. Haunted shmaunted!"

"Er…" Kalin ventured. "Did you ever consider that they were talking about _you_?"

"Why would they be…" the Guide suddenly paused, then looked down at himself. "…oh."

"Did you forget you were dead?" Kalin asked. "It doesn't seem like it would be that easy to forget."

"Ha! That's what you think!" the ghost laughed. "I can talk, sing, interact with people, and I have feelings. Besides not having a body and being able to fly, it's almost exactly the same as being alive. I don't age, and I don't get hungry. If I wanted, I could make the argument that I'm immortal and that _you're_ the dead one! Well… one day, at least."

As the Poe spoke, Kalin walked around the room. It was dome shaped, and had ornate carvings all over the walls. The engraved writings were similar to the ones used by the Gerudos, but they seemed older. The difference was such that Kalin couldn't make heads or tails of its meaning. The pictures were very detailed, and he could only assume that they followed some sort of storyline.

"What is this place?"

"Hmm?" the Guide followed the prince's intrigued gaze. "Ah, the writings. This room is a record of one of Hyrule's darkest and best kept secrets. It describes the events of Hyrule's birth, and the events that transpired around it."

"History…?" Kalin muttered under his breath. "Can you read it?"

"Can I read it?" the Ghost laughed. "My dear boy, I _wrote_ it! Or at least most of it… I died here, in this very room before I could complete it. I was so close to completing it, too. I couldn't believe my own…" the poe paused for several long moments. "Nevermind…"

Kalin turned to face the Guide. "What's wrong?"

"I won't translate it for you," the Poe said quietly, his voice very thoughtful. "It's a piece of history that's best left forgotten, and you'd do well to remember that."

Disappointed, Kalin turned to face the writings again. It had seemed like such an interesting story, too.

Something had changed.

A familiar feeling washed over the Prince of Darkness. He had the power. The pieces were in place. The time had come.

Ganon reached out into the plane of the living, transferring all of his power to the other side. There was a tug, and soon, Ganon felt the power being taken instead of merely sent.

If a God laughs, but no one hears it, did he make a sound?

_Let us once again… play the game of Gods…_

At the top of the desert shrine, a young Gerudo warrior sat watching the horizon. The desert was a dangerous place. She kept a close eye for any change: Leevers, specifically. Though the group was safe inside the rock that made up the structure of the shrine, the beasts they used for transportation could easily become a feast for the underground colonies of monsters. Occasionally, she removed her sand goggles to relieve the strain on her eyes and clean the lenses of built up sand.

The cool night air blew around the shrine, and the warrior shuddered. It wasn't the weather, though. She'd grown accustomed to the freezing night air of the harsh desert; this was something entirely different. Sixth sense buzzing, the Gerudo warrior stood up on her feet and placed her hands on her scimitars, a ready stance. She didn't feel right. Her instincts were telling her to move, but she stayed rooted to the spot.

A faint tremor shook the ground, and a screech from her left made the guard nearly jump. The bull-pigs, apparently terrified, had torn away from their rope harnesses and were running full speed away from the shrine. The sand around the shrine had begun to move outward, like a wave in the ocean, expanding further and further away. Her eyes widened in amazement when she realized that the wave was actually a colony of Leevers, fleeing on instinct from an unknown threat. The night wind that had been blowing furiously only moments ago ceased completely, leaving an unsettling stillness in the air.

The warrior's eyes darted around the building, looking intently for the source of the danger.

_Where is it? Where!_

The wind suddenly picked up again, except this time it swirled around the shrine itself, not in one direction. A clattering sound from beneath her brought the warrior's attention to the roof of the shrine under her feet. The rocks and sand on the rooftop were sliding past her feet, moving towards the center. She whipped around, drawing her scimitars…

A chilling scream echoed throughout the shrine, a muffled remnant even reaching Kalin's ears in the Poe's dwelling place. The prince stiffened, and the Poe's face grew dark.

"Something's happening outside," the Poe muttered. He continued in a clearer voice. "I suggest you return to your band. I'll find out what's going on, as a thank you for keeping me company, of course." The translucent silhouette made a quick bow and darted through the ceiling, to the roof of the shrine.

"Thank you!" Kalin managed before the ghost slipped through the brick. The prince retraced his steps back through the passage ways and illusion wall that had led him there.

In the bowels of the shrine, the Gerudos were on full alert, swords at the ready. The sound of footsteps caused everyone to stiffen. Kalin appeared from the passageways, and several warriors let loose a small sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" he asked in a low whisper.

"There was a scream from outside," Shadii explained. "I'm sure it was Ketur. She was on watch on the shrine's roof. We were going to investigate when we noticed you were missing. We should check on her quickly."

"I agree. Let's go."

Kalin, Shadii, and three other warriors swiftly climbed the ladder to the desert. Once outside, they split up, each covering ground and checking the perimeter. The prince chose his steps carefully and stayed low to the ground, trusting his clothes to keep him hidden from enemy eyes. He worked his way around the shrine's base, looking for any sign of trouble.

The Prince's eyes furrowed. He couldn't hear the bull-pigs. Almost on instinct, Kalin unsheathed his swords as he approached the makeshift bull-pig shelters. The shelter was in tatters, ripped in several places. The animals were gone, and the rope was excessively frayed at the ends.

_They weren't attacked… they got loose…_

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kalin noticed a wooden support that was oddly positioned. He moved closer to inspect, and felt his heart leap up to his throat. The support beam had been torn in half when the animals had broken loose, creating a sharp, jagged edge. Blood had soaked into it, and as he approached, Kalin could make out a body that had been pierced through the chest by the stake.

It was Ketur.

Her scimitars lay on the ground near her body, and her eyes were frozen open in fear. So shocked was he by the body, Kalin didn't even notice when Shadii and the rest of the scouting team approached from behind. Upon seeing the body, they recoiled, and one young warrior threw up to the side.

Shadii swallowed the bile rising in her own throat. "What happened?" She asked quietly.

"She fell…" Kalin muttered in a low voice. "…from the top of the shrine." He gripped his swords firmly in his hands. "Whatever made her fall is up there. Take a minute, pull yourselves together. That's where we're headed next."

Kalin raised his head in the night air, eyes fixed on the shrine's apex.

_Im… impossible…_

The old ghost floated, frozen in place with shock. Standing in front of him, naked, flexing, but very much _alive_ was a face that was very familiar, and most assuredly dead. The puppet of the Dark Prince tested his newly resurrected body, checking his own reflexes and stretching. Putting one's body back together wasn't the simplest of processes. The dark skinned man stiffened as he became aware of the Poe's presence. The moment passed as their eyes connected and sparked in recognition.

"Well, well… you're looking considerably older than the last time I saw you. Has death been treating you well, _old man_?"

"I could say the same for you, whelp. My current existence is heaven compared to the oblivion you've undoubtedly been experiencing." The Poe's grip on his lantern tightened. "What are your intentions?"

"You feel the need to ask?" The man chuckled in a dark voice. "I intend to rule this land, and make those who oppose me… disappear!" A dark bolt of energy shot out of the man's outstretched arm towards the ghost. The bolt passed harmlessly through the Poe like so much mist as his form dissolved into the air.

"The afterlife has dulled your powers," the ghost's disembodied voice echoed all around. "Here and now, before you have a chance to regain your strength, I will destroy you!" Flames appeared all around the roof of the shrine in the shape of a large sphere, each turning into a lantern, and then a Poe holding it. The reflections of the old man circled the dark man, slowly closing in. "For the death you so abruptly gifted me with so many years ago, I will return the favor. Enjoy your descent to hell, Imran!"

A thickly muscled hand wrapped its fingers around the throat of one of the apparitions in front of him. The rest of the reflections instantly vanished, and the Poe's eyes widened in horror.

"My name is no longer Imran. I am the servant of Ganon, Ganondorf! And unfortunately for you…" his evil eyes narrowed. "…_brother_… even at my weakest, I am worlds beyond you. Now… die properly, like you should have all those years ago."

A dark aura extruded from Ganondorf's grip around the Poe's neck. The ghost screamed silently as his spiritual flesh ripped itself to pieces, rotting and disintegrating as if he was made of dust. The Poe's lantern slipped through his rapidly dissolving fingers and shattered on the ground, and the scattered ashes seeped into the ground.

The dust settled. Ganondorf looked east, to where the sun was beginning to paint the horizon.

He smiled.


End file.
